The uneven distribution of the economic activities, with their respective energy demands, and the need to make these resources available in a continent-sized country are the major challenges of energy logistics.  The location of the production infrastructure and energy generation was, to a great extent, set by natural conditions and deployment and operational techniques, presenting different spatial patterns in the territory, with the hydraulic generation of electric power concentrated in the center-south and some specific clusters in the North and Northeast Regions, whereas petroleum extraction prevailed in Rio de Janeiro's coast. 

These are some of the conclusions reached by the study Energy Logistics 2015 -  Territorial Networks and Flows,  which also shows the participation growth of the pre-salt in the petroleum production (which reached 21.9%, in 2014), the absolute leadership of Rio de Janeiro as an oil (68.4% of the production) and natural gas producer (34,8%), the foreign dependence on the consumption of oil products (imports of 47.6 thousand m³/day, in 2014) and of natural gas (17.4 billions m³, in 2014). The study also shows that the distribution to refineries is uneven, with São Paulo (39.0%) and Bahia (16.1%) concentrating more than half of the refining capacity of the country, as well as the growth of 460% of the wind power production, although this source represents just 2.1% of the generation.

Besides the information collected by the IBGE, the study used data from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, of the National Agencies of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), National Water Agency (ANA), Electric System National Operator (ONS), Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), of the Brazilian Association of Piped Natural Gas Distributors (ABEGÁS) and of Energy Regulators of the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The publication brings a synthetic wall map, which represents the infrastructures of oil, gas and biofuels and of electricity. Complete information can be accessed here.

Energy Logistics 2015 – Territorial Networks and Flows shows that 92.5% of the oil production value occurs in the sea and just 7.5% in the continent. In absolute terms, however, 841 oil and natural gas producing wells are in the sea, whereas 8,263 are in the continent, with a highlight to the Northeast Region, with the states of Rio Grande do Norte (47.2%), Sergipe (21.9%) and Bahia (20.1%), gathering the greatest concentration of land-based wells.

Another highlight is the evolution of the pre-salt polygon, covering the coast of Santa Catarina up to Espírito Santo, where production has increased gradually in the last years, reaching 179 million de barrels, in 2014, representing 21.9% of the oil production volume (822.9 million barrels) that year. Rio de Janeiro is the greatest oil producer of the country, accounting for 68.4% of the output, more than four times the production of the second state in the ranking, Espírito Santo (16.3%), followed by São Paulo (7.2%). The other producing states together amount to 8.1%of the country's total output.

São Paulo produces 46.9% of diesel fuel and is the only state that produces aviation gasoline – used in small aircraft - in the Presidente Bernardes Refinery, set in the municipality of Cubatão. However, aviation kerosene, used as fuel in the bigger aircraft, is produced by most of the states with refineries, except for Pernambuco and Ceará. Brazil is not self-sufficient in the production of petroleum products, and the net imports  in 2014 was, on average, 47.6 thousand m³/day.

Natural gas from the pre-salt represents 19.6% of the total national output

The production of natural gas is a little less concentrated in the sea than oil's - 73.3% of it comes from the sea, against 26.7% from land-based production. But in the pre-salt production represents 19.6% of the total extracted in the country (31.9 billion m³). Rio de Janeiro's production (34,8%) represents more than twice of the production of the second place in the ranking, Espírito Santo, which extracts 14.9%. The states of Amazonas (14.7%) and São Paulo (13.1%) also have significant outputs.

Brazil is not self-sufficient in natural gas. In 2014, the volume of imported natural gas was slightly above 17.0 billion de m³. Two types of infrastructure play an important role in gas import: the Brazil-Bolivia gas pipeline, which transport gas from the neighbor country to Brazil, and crosses the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo; and the regasification units of natural gas. There are three LNG regasification terminals in the municipalities of São Gonçalo do Amarante (CE), Salvador (BA) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The processing of natural gas to generate LNG (liquified natural gas) in Brazil, is carried out just in one unit located in themunicipality of Paulínia (SP).

In MT, SP and PR, it is cheaper to fill up with ethanol than with gasoline

Based on data from ANP, relative to December 2014, based on a survey conducted in 38,595 gas stations located in 538 municipalities, in the case of ethanol, and in 41,715 gas stations in 555 municipalities, in the case of gasoline, the study states that in areas of São Paulo (countryside), Paraná (especially west) and Mato Grosso, the use of ethanol is cheaper than the use of gasoline, while in Amapá, Sergipe and Roraima it is the other way around. The price of ethanol was estimated as 70.0% of the price of gasoline because ethanol makes less miles per liter. The price of gasoline (ranging from R$ 2.80/liter to R$ 3.87/liter) increases progressively, from west to east in the country, reaching the highest values in the countryside of Pará, in the west of Amazonas and Acre, being lower in São Paulo, as well as in some places close to Porto Alegre, and to the Curitiba-Vale do Itajaí area, in the Northeast coast and in Piauí. In the case of ethanol (ranging from R$ 1.71/liter to R$ 3.45/liter), the highest price averages are in the North Region and in Sergipe.

SP is the biggest producer of ethanol, whereas RS and MT lead in biodiesel

The study points out that there has been a State incentive to the consumption of renewable sources: the main biofuels are ethanol (sugarcane) and biodiesel (soybean oil, animal fat and cotton oil). São Paulo(48.2%) is the state with the biggest ethanol producing capacity, concentrated in the countryside of the state, where is the main sugarcane crop of the country. Goiás and Minas Gerais still concentrate a significant part of the production, both with more than 10.0% of contribution.  Mato Grosso do Sul (8.3%), Paraná (6.1%), Mato Grosso (4.1%), Alagoas (2.8%), Paraíba (1.3%) and Espírito Santo (1.2%).

The biodiesel production capacity is more significant in the states of Rio Grande do Sul (27.3%) and Mato Grosso, with 23.4%. Biodiesel in Brazil today is produced predominantly out of soybean oil, which contributes to 76.9% of the total raw material used in the production of biodiesel. The second raw material that mostly contributes to the production of this fuel is animal fat (19.8%). All the other derivatives together do not surpass 3.3% of the total raw materials.  The production of soybeans, main component of biodiesel, is concentrated in the Central-West and South of the country and in the west of Bahia as well. Most of the biodiesel plants are set in those areas, except for São Paulo, which, despite its less significant soybean production, has a great number of plants.

Hydraulic generation accounts for 63.2 % of the total energy of the country

In the Brazilian energy matrix, the hydraulic generation corresponded to 63.2% of the total generation in 2014, totaling 373,439 Gigawatt-hour (GWh). In the whole national area, there are 367 Hydroelectric Generating Stations (up to 3 Megawatts - MW), responsible for 0.2% of the total generation, concentrated in the north and in the central part of Rio Grande do Sul and west of the state of Santa Catarina, in the east and southeast of the state of Minas Gerais. There were 459 Small Hydroelectric Stations (between 3 and 30 MW) in operation, with 4.9 % of power, and 194 Hydroelectric Plants (more than 30 MW), corresponding to 94.9% of the power, concentrated in the electro-energetic integration areas: Central-West /Southeast and South.

There is predominance in the Paraná River Basin, where the generating stations installed correspond to 46.9 % of the power. The Itaipu Plant (14,000 MW), in the border between Brazil and Paraguay, stands out. It is the world leader in clean and renewable energy, having produced more than 2.3 billion MWh since it started operating, in 1984. It has 20 generating stations, supplying 15% and 75% of the energy consumed in Braziland Paraguay, respectively.

Another highlight is Tucuruí (8.535 MW), located in Pará. The Public Service (SP) of energy generation corresponds to 61.7% of the total of the power, followed by Independent Energy Producers (IEP), with 33.7%. Self-generators and those with more than one destination account for the remaining 4.6%. Thermal power generation stood at 204,829 GWh, in 2014, representing 34.7% of the total generation in the country.

Wind generation grew 460.1% from 2010 to 2014, but it represents 2.1% of the generation

Wind generation grew nearly 460.1%, from 2010 to 2014, jumping from 2,177 to 12,210 GWh per year. However, the contribution of this source is still low, representing 2.1% of the total generation. It is concentrated in the Northeast, particularly Rio Grande do Norte (31.3%), Ceará (23.4%) and the countryside of Bahia (16.9%). The photovoltaic generation (electricity obtained through the sun) is just residual, contributing with less than 1.0% to the total.